Inimical Initiatives
by Phoenix Song12
Summary: Life as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting had always been fairly easy. When Castiel embarks on her first real training experience with the Abhorsen, she thinks of it as an adventure. But after her cousins sudden death, she finds herself in the middle of an ancient feud. To save the future, she must delve deep into the past.


**Thanks so much for checking out my fanfiction! The first chapters will be a little bit shorter, but it will get longer as it goes. Rated T for violence, and minor language. Enjoy!**

The swords clashed together, causing sparks of charter marks to flash from the soft steel blades with every impact. Castiel ducked, and quickly parried with a low swing. Her opponent launched themself to the side, ducked and rolled, and came back up on one knee with a surprising thrust. 

Castiel barely leaped back in time, as dust was kicked up, causing her throat to itch, and induce a bout of coughing. She swallowed in a desperate attempt to clear her throat. She then ran straight to her opponent, issuing a stream of charter marks from her mouth for speed and agility. She used their shoulder to launch herself, and leaped up into the air to land with her back to the opponent. Castiel spun around in time to give a mock swing at their neck. 

Ardon stood up, his palms facing outward in defeat. He chuckled softly. 

"Alright, alright. You win!" His dark brown eyes glimmered, as his mouth twisted in a wry smile. 

"That's right I did!" Castiel laughed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Good match, by the way." 

The thick oppressive heat of summer beat down on their backs as they trudged back to the house. Her thick black hair was plaited into a neat braid, reaching the middle of her back. Her dark eyes and hair were in stark contrast with her pale skin. 

They reached Abhorsen's House, and as they stepped inside, the roar of the Long Cliffs vanished into a distant sound, as if it were many miles away. 

She raced up to her room, carefully placing her charter spelled practice sword away, and began to strip off her sweaty training clothes. A sending approached, its ghostly hands setting down a fresh pair of clothes on her bed, and then turning to start the tub. It began to fill a large basin with water from the sulfurous hot springs. It turned its expressionless face towards Castiel, and beckoned impatiently with one hand. 

Grumbling, she waved it off. "I can wash myself, thanks. Your work's done here." 

The sending bowed its head slightly, and began to shuffle out of the room, but not before it handed her a bar of sweet smelling, yellow soap. 

After her bath, she went up to the study where Ardon was undoubtedly at. She was physically tired, but enjoyed the few hours with her cousin reading before supper. As she bounced inside, she realized he was not in his usual spot at the dragon desk, but instead standing by the large bay windows. Instead of looking outside, however, he held a thick envelope and letter in his hand and was reading it. 

He quickly noticed her presence, and shoved the letter back in to the envelope, not taking much notice whether he bent the corners or not. The rather uncharacteristic hastiness shocked her. 

He attempted a warm smile, although wariness still lingered on his expression. He shook his head slowly, and said, "Oh, don't mind that. Just some news from the kingdom. It seems I will be leaving soon on business with the dead. It is my duty, as the Abhorsen..." He seemed to be not only trying to convince Castiel not to worry, but himself as well. 

Castiel twisted her mouth in distress, but quickly righted it into a smile. "Come on, "she said. "Why don't we read for a bit? Maybe that'll...take your mind off things, eh?" 

"Oh, reading, right?" 

"Well...I mean...sure, why not?" 

He grinned and rolled his eyes. "If you want to read so badly, then you should be studying _The Book of the Dead_." 

"But I've already read it!" She protested. "What more could I learn?" 

"You know just as well as I do that the book changes all the time. The first time you read it, it would have only given you the bare minimum." He walked over to his desk and picked up the large leather bound book. It had a silver clasp and was swarming with charter marks.

She slumped her shoulders and sighed. "Oh, fine." She picked up the book, and curled up on a red upholstered armchair. Within a few minutes, Castiel was completely absorbed. Ardon slipped the letter in his coat pocket, and left her to studying. He began to make his way up to the observation room.

Once there, Ardon sat down near the great telescope and began to grab at his chin, a sure sign of worry. The letter had asked him to come to Belisaere to escort the King all the way to Hafmet, near Olmond. The Dead had been steadily increasing in number and threat over the summer, after all of the melt waters of spring had dried up.

He was fine with doing his duty as the Abhorsen, but more worried about Castiel. It was nearing the time when she would take over, and he feared she still had much to learn. He was worried that she would not be prepared when the time would come. Ardon could die at any time because of the risk of his job.

"You could bring her with you, you know." Two gleaming eyes appeared by the door, followed by the soft white cat familiar that was known as Mogget. He would sometimes change his shape. When Ardon was newly come into his inheritance as Abhorsen, Mogget had been an albino dwarf boy.

Ardon shuddered, unnerved by how the cat seemed to always know what he was thinking, and sighed.

"I suppose she could come but-"

"But you don't want her to. You know she is going to need practice as the Abhorsen, and she'll never be able to if you're always leaving her behind." Mogget rolled his eyes.

He put his head in his hands. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He snorted. "You're always right."

"Now, if you just keep that fact in mind, we wouldn't need to have these conversations. Just listen to me from the start."

"Hah! Like hell I will." Ardon stood up, and brushed the nonexistent dust from his pants. "I suppose I should go tell her now." He paused for a moment to think. "Or maybe I'll just tell her at dinner. Yes, that's a plan."

Mogget yawned, and stretched out luxuriously. "Make sure there is tuna for me," he said, and then turned, and padded out of the room.

"That bloody cat is so demanding…" Ardon muttered to himself. He started to follow Mogget, and began to prepare how he was going to tell Castiel the news.


End file.
